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Q:
When fishing nymphs how deep should you run them when you have a strike indicator?
Question by deerhunter125. Uploaded on March 11, 2010
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Answers (5)
When you're nymphing your flies should be drifting along the bottom of the creek. To allow your flies to get there, the distance between your shot, and the indicator should be roughly 1.5 to 2 times the depth of the water your fishing.
I see a lot of guys fish with only the depth of the water between their indicator and nymphs/shot. They're not considering that the leader between their indicator and shot is at an angle, and not straight up and down. Therefore, they nymphs can't be getting down to the bottom where the fish are.
You'll know your getting down to where you need to be when you start getting stuck occasionally.
Some more troubleshooting and tips:
-If your indicator is being constantly pulled under by your shot, but you're not getting your flies to the bottom... move your indicator to allow more distance between.
-If you're not occasionally getting stuck, put more shot on your leader until you are.
-If you're getting stuck on every cast, take some shot off.
-If your getting hung up once in a while, but it's not until the end of your drift, add a little more shot, so you're in the fishing strike zone throughout more of your drift.
-The indicator does more than indicate wether or not you're getting a strike, it's also a good indicator of your drift. If it's swinging in the current rather than drifting naturally with the current, you need to mend.
-Indicators are too often treated as floats. If you're using them to keep your flies off the bottom as if you're using a bobber, you're not using them right.
Hope this helps.
Depends. Whatever the fish are feeding at. Usually 2 to 3 inches of the bottom (Of said hole you are fishing.) Adjustable is nice.
the single biggest variable to nymphing isn't the bugs on the end of the line but getting the drift correct by adjusting the weight you are using. the weight needed can vary from one end of run to the other, so it calls for frequent adjustments. remember to watch the indicator and have it drifting at the same rate as the current. Hint-watch the indicator compared to a bubble on the surface...if they float at the same rate, you're close.
I don't use a strike indicator. I hate trying to cast the darn things. I think they're for people who really don't know how to fish very well. I use nymphs "on the swing". In Alaska I also found that weighting the leader worked better than a weighted fly. Especially in situations where there's lots of current. The sinkers get the fly down but not all the way to the bottom. How far the sinkers were set from the fly adjusted the depth the fly was from the bottom. It's something of an art form to cast the line with four or five little split shot sinkers 16" above the fly. Practice makes perfect. Just make sure you're wearing a hood! I use floating line and a well-tapered leader/tippet combination. I use a bit more leader than the length of the rod.
Strike indicators will allow you to use less lead to get down, and is more than just a strike indicator....it keeps the fly at the depth you want. The best way to get deep is to not use a tapered leader, just tie straight tippet to the end of the leader butt section..let's say you have 3ft of the butt, and then tie 6ft of maybe 3x. The 6ft. of 3x will get down with less wt. than if the leader were tapered down to the last 2ft of 3x. 1 1/2 to 2 times the depth is a good rule as posted below the strike indicator.
Post an Answer
When you're nymphing your flies should be drifting along the bottom of the creek. To allow your flies to get there, the distance between your shot, and the indicator should be roughly 1.5 to 2 times the depth of the water your fishing.
I see a lot of guys fish with only the depth of the water between their indicator and nymphs/shot. They're not considering that the leader between their indicator and shot is at an angle, and not straight up and down. Therefore, they nymphs can't be getting down to the bottom where the fish are.
You'll know your getting down to where you need to be when you start getting stuck occasionally.
Some more troubleshooting and tips:
-If your indicator is being constantly pulled under by your shot, but you're not getting your flies to the bottom... move your indicator to allow more distance between.
-If you're not occasionally getting stuck, put more shot on your leader until you are.
-If you're getting stuck on every cast, take some shot off.
-If your getting hung up once in a while, but it's not until the end of your drift, add a little more shot, so you're in the fishing strike zone throughout more of your drift.
-The indicator does more than indicate wether or not you're getting a strike, it's also a good indicator of your drift. If it's swinging in the current rather than drifting naturally with the current, you need to mend.
-Indicators are too often treated as floats. If you're using them to keep your flies off the bottom as if you're using a bobber, you're not using them right.
Hope this helps.
the single biggest variable to nymphing isn't the bugs on the end of the line but getting the drift correct by adjusting the weight you are using. the weight needed can vary from one end of run to the other, so it calls for frequent adjustments. remember to watch the indicator and have it drifting at the same rate as the current. Hint-watch the indicator compared to a bubble on the surface...if they float at the same rate, you're close.
Depends. Whatever the fish are feeding at. Usually 2 to 3 inches of the bottom (Of said hole you are fishing.) Adjustable is nice.
Strike indicators will allow you to use less lead to get down, and is more than just a strike indicator....it keeps the fly at the depth you want. The best way to get deep is to not use a tapered leader, just tie straight tippet to the end of the leader butt section..let's say you have 3ft of the butt, and then tie 6ft of maybe 3x. The 6ft. of 3x will get down with less wt. than if the leader were tapered down to the last 2ft of 3x. 1 1/2 to 2 times the depth is a good rule as posted below the strike indicator.
I don't use a strike indicator. I hate trying to cast the darn things. I think they're for people who really don't know how to fish very well. I use nymphs "on the swing". In Alaska I also found that weighting the leader worked better than a weighted fly. Especially in situations where there's lots of current. The sinkers get the fly down but not all the way to the bottom. How far the sinkers were set from the fly adjusted the depth the fly was from the bottom. It's something of an art form to cast the line with four or five little split shot sinkers 16" above the fly. Practice makes perfect. Just make sure you're wearing a hood! I use floating line and a well-tapered leader/tippet combination. I use a bit more leader than the length of the rod.
Post an Answer